by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 12, 2020 | Blog, mysteries, small towns, writing novels
I don’t know when I first heard the axiom, “the devil is in the details,” but it is certainly true when it comes to writing mysteries. Mathematically, the ages of characters and dates of events must be worked out in advance. Many a time I have written a paragraph...
by Susan Van Kirk | May 19, 2019 | Blog, mysteries, reading, suspense
I know I have an Events page which is WONDERFUL, but I figure sometimes people might like to plan ahead, and old events drop off the Events page while new ones then appear. But you can’t see more than a few at a time. So here are some of the exciting events...
by Susan Van Kirk | May 15, 2019 | Blog, mysteries, small towns, suspense, writing
When I considered some of the overwhelming pop cultural trends of the period between the early 1960s and mid-1970s, I knew I would have to include the wild fashions and the music. What better way to do this than to have Beth Russell explore the bedroom of fictional...
by Susan Van Kirk | Apr 6, 2019 | Blog, mysteries, small towns, Susan Van Kirk, suspense
In a recent post, I discussed the move from my Endurance Mysteries to my little town called Sweet Iron, Illinois, in my upcoming book, A Death at Tippitt Pond. This is the first of three posts about recreating the past and present in the lives of characters in a small...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 24, 2019 | Blog, mysteries, suspense, writing
Janet Elizabeth Lynn and Will Zeilinger write a mystery series called the Skylar Drake Murder Mysteries. Janet is visiting today to talk about their latest book and the research that led them to this mystery. Welcome, Janet! My husband Will Zeilinger and I co-write...
by Susan Van Kirk | Mar 8, 2019 | Blog, mysteries, mystery, small towns, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing
When I was growing up, my parents rented a room to a lady who was working at a store in our town. It was shortly after the end of World War II. Her name was Margaret, and she came from a tiny rural town twenty miles away. I imagine our city had more opportunities to...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 15, 2018 | Blog, mysteries, publishing, Susan Van Kirk, suspense, writing
In recent months, friends and readers have asked me this question, and I appreciate their concern. Behind the scenes, I know the answer, and I figure if I share it, you’ll understand a bit about the nature of the publishing business. I have been like the groundhog...
by Susan Van Kirk | Feb 28, 2018 | Blog, mysteries, writing
I read the first Charles Lenox mystery, A Beautiful Blue Death, in 2007. Browsing through the new library books, I plucked it from the shelf, read it too quickly, and enjoyed it immensely. Charles Finch, the author, has now written thirteen books in the series, and I...
by Susan Van Kirk | Aug 4, 2013 | Blog, mysteries, Susan Van Kirk
Part of my second mystery, Marry in Haste, will take place in a large Victorian home in 1893. I lived in such a house when I first moved to Monmouth, Illinois in the 1960s. In my last post I discussed the history of the W.W. McCullough house, and now I’m...
by Susan Van Kirk | Nov 14, 2012 | Blog, mysteries, Susan Van Kirk
One of my former students, who is an intelligent and voracious reader, asked me this question when I announced on Facebook that I’d like to hear questions about writing. I have a couple of...
